Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus has told Neymar to cut out the diving and focus on his football.
The Brazilian superstar has divided opinion at this World Cup with his occasionally brilliant play and often comical play-acting.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s The Best FIFA Football Awards, Matthaus said: “Neymar doesn’t need to act – he’s an excellent player and he has everything a high-level player needs.
“He’s one of the top five players in the world, why does he need to act? It doesn’t bring him sympathy and it’s not good for him.
“(Diego) Maradona wasn’t acting, (Lionel) Messi doesn’t act. (Cristiano) Ronaldo is an actor in a different way but not like this. We need players like Neymar in the game but not like this.”
Matthaus said he did not believe the Brazilian was quite on a par with Messi and Ronaldo.
That could change, however, if Brazil win the World Cup, the former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan midfielder said, although he made the same point about England’s Harry Kane and France’s Kylian Mbappe.
“Why don’t we speak about Mbappe or Kane, who’s the top scorer in England the last three or four years, is the captain of the national team and has six goals at the World Cup? For me, he is a candidate (for the best player award), Mbappe is a candidate,” said Matthaus.
Also at the launch was the original Ronaldo, who won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups with Brazil, and he was more supportive of his compatriot Neymar.
The 41-year-old said: “There are many ways to interpret football and I don’t agree that he dives.
“He is an intelligent player in his movements and how he defends himself from being tackled. I don’t think referees have been protecting him enough.
“When people repeatedly fouled me I felt a sense of unfairness. The criticism of Neymar is nonsense, his results with Brazil are incredible and he is still not at his best.”